1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an authentication system, an authentication control method, an image forming apparatus, and an authentication server.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
Integrated circuit (IC) cards are widely used. For example, many identification cards (IDs), such as employee IDs and student IDs, used to identify individuals are IC cards. Further, restriction of use of computers, etc., using IC cards has been realized.
Many offices use image forming apparatuses such as copiers, facsimile machines, printers, and multifunction apparatuses capable of two or more of those functions, and a method to authenticate users of such multifunction apparatuses, as well as computers, using IC cards has been proposed for security reasons. Further, a user authentication system to authenticate users based on individual biometric information has been proposed.
For example, one known image input and output apparatus restricts users who can execute certain specific type of image processing. In this image input/output apparatus, users of specific image processing can be restricted through a method including inputting image data, inputting biometric information of a user requesting a specific image processing, storing the biometric information, cross-checking the biometric information with registered biometric information, and performing the requested image processing according to results of the cross-check.
Thus, various types of personal authentication methods, such as the user authentication system using IC cards and the biometric authentication system using biometric information described above, are currently used.
In order to correspond to various types of user authentication methods requested by users, the image forming apparatus should control various types of authentication devices, which requires implementation of programs to control various types of authentication devices and increases development cost. Hereinafter those control programs are referred to as firmware.
In particular, it is difficult to change firmware of the image forming apparatus that is an embedded device, and work required to maintain quality increases when the firmware is changed. Thus, it is difficult to change the firmware of each image forming apparatus in order to correspond to various types of user authentication methods.
Further, in the biometric authentication method, processing of biometric information acquired via an authentication device is required in order to identify a person based thereon. Because a heavier load is required to execute such information processing by using software, the image forming apparatus does not have sufficient capacity, and consequently it takes a relatively long time to authenticate the user.